New Around the World: Jimin Becomes Fifth BTS Member to Score a Solo Billboard Global Chart Hit

The May 7-dated Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts welcome top 20 debuts by a slew of artists familiar with the tally’s upper region. The Kid LAROI and Karol G arrive on the Global 200 at Nos. 14 and 15, respectively, with new solo songs, joining the former’s “Stay,” with Justin Bieber, and the latter’s “MAMIII,” with Becky G, in the top 20. On Global Excl. U.S., Argentine producer Bizarrap scores the highest debut of his global chart history with the Paulo Londra collaboration “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 23” at No. 12.

Related

NewJeans Hit the Beach, Blow Bubbles and Live Their Best Pop Live in Effervescent 'Bubble Gum' Video

05/05/2022

But there’s one debut in the top 20 of both lists by two artists hitting the global charts for the very first time as soloists. Jimin and Ha Sung-woon enter at No. 14 on Global Excl. U.S. and No. 19 on the Global 200 with “With You.” And while it’s the first global hit credited to Jimin, he has topped the charts five and six times, respectively, as a member of BTS.

Jimin is the fifth BTS member to score a global chart hit, following Jin’s “Yours”; Suga’s “Girl of My Dreams,” with Juice WRLD; V’s “Christmas Tree”; and Jungkook’s “Stay Alive.” The last of those is the only other top 20 entry, remaining the highest peaking BTS solo hit on both lists (No. 8 Global Excl. U.S.; No. 13 Global 200, in February).

“With You” arrives on the back of 16.9 million streams and 39,400 downloads sold worldwide in the week ending April 28, according to Luminate. Those streams break down to 15.1 million (89.5%) from outside the U.S. and 1.8 million (10.5%) stateside. That lines up almost exactly with how most of the BTS solo songs have split internationally, just barely off from Jungkook’s 90%, Jin’s 90.4% and V’s 91% in their debut weeks.

Juice WRLD & Suga’s collaboration from 2021 veers from that path, with 40% of its streams from the U.S. in its debut frame (chart dated Dec. 25, 2021), likely due to Juice WRLD’s overwhelming domestic lean, in line with other North American hip-hop artists. But Suga’s influence was still felt, making it one of only two Juice WRLD songs to debut on that week’s Global Excl. U.S. chart, compared to 11 on the Global 200.

The 90/10 split for “With You” and other BTS solo entries is also consistent with the debuts of BTS’ biggest global hits. No. 1 arrivals for “Life Goes On,” “Butter,” “Permission to Dance” and “My Universe,” with Coldplay, all skewed between 88-91% outside the U.S., regardless of these songs’ language, tempo or collaborators.